phew!

yeah, so i'm back. with nothing, as of now. except a new template.
hope y'all like it. will come back with a post... soon. hopefully.

and yes, will catch up with most of the blogs that i used to read prior to the break.

dus ka dum!

so much for a break. gah!
i seriously have zero discipline in my life! anyway, i'm a sucker for tags. and an even bigger sucker for bollywood. so when i glanced upon this on lady K's blog, i HAD to take a break from my break.

here are the rules, copied from kiran's blog:

1. On your blog, provide a link to this page. (http://greatbong.net/book).
2. Then write down your top 10 Hindi movie lines or top 10 English movie lines (You can do both if you want. Only one set is required for the contest). If you cannot think of top 10, make it top 5. Cannot think of even 5? Make it top 3. No problem. Only restriction: no two lines from same movie. This done to make it fair for other movies so that they dont get swamped by Gunda or Loha or Sholay.
3. Tag five friends to do the same.
4. Come over to the comment-space of this post and post your blog’s link so I can go and read it.
Remember: Before starting the tag, paste points 1 and 4 on your blog so that the rules are available to anyone who wishes to pick the tag up from your blog.

so now, i leave you with my top-of mind hindi film dialogs.

:: "mogambo khush hua!" - mr india

:: "yahan beemaron ka ilaaj hota hai, murdon mein jaan nahi daali jaati" - aloo chaat

:: "chal, ab mann mein has ke dikha" - shool *i think*

:: "pyaari nahi, bahut saari baatein karti hai" - sholay

:: "yeh dhai kilo ka haath kisiipar pad jaaye, toh aadmi uthta nahi, uth jaata hai" - damini

:: "mere paas maa hai" - deewar

:: "no if, no but... only jat" - jo bole so nihaal

:: "mere mann ko bhaaya, main kutta kaat ke khaaya" - china gate

:: "main ek baar commitment kar lu, toh phir main apni bhi nahi sunta"- wanted

:: "teja main hoon. mark idhar hai!" - AAA

:: "aap convince ho gaye... ki main aur bolu..?" - jab we met.

i know.. they're 11... but well, i couldn't leave out the last one. and i have to remind myself that i have something VERY pressing to do.. or this could've been top 50!

and as is wont, i tag:

dewey

galadriel

pixie

amey

suruchi

prashanti

one dialog extra, one person extra tagged!

i shall meet y'all post march 8! :)

break it!

due to inexplicable *as yet* and unavoidable circumstances, i'm off this space till march 8, 2010.

i may pop in once a while... but since i'm not going to even check mails, that can't be guaranteed.

will try and catch up with all the blogs i frequent, once i'm back. didn't want to leave without a notification... so here it is. for those of you who bother reading me/leave comments. love y'all. and i'll see you all soon. here, of course. *pavi & G - i will call you soon! :)*

till then... stay safe and stay happy.

photos... phinally.

by public demand, here are pictures from the guest house, where we were put up for a couple of days till they set our apartment right.

the view from the dining room - that's the sun attempting to set, not rise! ;)


the frozen lake...
and my fave pic... :)
the rest will be mailed to you (if i have your id, and if you want them) once i upload them on picasa.

learnings in the adirondacks!

learning 1: in the winter, never EVER switch off the heat in your house if you're going to be away. more so, if you're away for over a day! or 5 days, in our case.*you knew it?! GOOODD for you!*

learning 2: always... and i mean, always, KNOW where the mains are located. not just for electricity, for water as well.

learning 3: when you get back after a couple of days to a frozen house, do NOT yank up the heat! yes, even though you may be freezing. even though the faucets are frozen and there is not a drop of water in the house! do NOT yank up the heat. you may risk - like we did - a pipe bursting, and the entire apartment getting flooded in approx 15 mins.

learning 4: the trudeau maintenance guys totally rock!! they were prompt, came up rather late in the night... managed to find us a place to stay at that hour (in a city that sleeps around 7). M even managed to drive up to the guest house at way past 10 to make sure we had groceries, our sheets were clean and we were okay. AND she was really sweet about it. i don't think anyone anywhere else would do as much, as promptly, for tenants! that too, with a smile. i guess they really are nicer folks around here.

so well, here i am. at the trudeau guest house. using the free wi-fi and blogging. second thing in the morng. first, of course, i took pictures of the gorgeous steiner cottage and the marvelous view from here - the frozen lake! :)

yeah, a tiring day, a 5 hour drive, a flooded apartment... fades away in my memory when i wake up to a view like this!

but i do hope i can go back home soon!

bonne année

every time i step out, i feel somewhat like what the kids in narnia must've felt when they stepped out that wardrobe the first time.

yeah, i'm still not over it.

but well, had a lovely xmas. with egg-nog, awesome food and wonderful gifts! only thing missing was friends. but i'm sure next christmas, that will be taken care of too. *smiles mysteriously*

will try and be more regular with blogging in 2010. can't promise, but will definitely try. there is a lot going on that can count as bloggable... but more on that, later. when the time is right. and no, that doesn't mean i'm pregnant. *yes, this was for YOU! don't mail me/call me abt it!*

so... here's wishing you all have a wonderful 2010. happy new year, folks. and don't give up on me just as yet.

thoughts for the week.

as always, since there's too much brain freeze for a proper piece... a quick update... lest you think i'm dead and gone... wanted to do mini posts on each. but, then again, one post should suffice.
:: made my first snowman. ever. not for this season. yeah, i know.

:: realized what it feels to be 'dependent'. in more ways than one.

:: some ppl need to know that not everything is to be told to/discussed with everyone. irrespective of how close you may be. there are some things that shouldn't be asked. they will be told, if they need to be. if they're not, it doesn't concern you, in any way.

:: there's this constant 'need' by ppl to be competitive, to be the 'best'. a need, that is not understood by me. i can understand wanting to better yourself, not wanting to be better than someone else. that is where i lose the track. i revel in being average. i 'want' to be average. normal. okay. maybe that's the problem with me.

:: i believe every person enters our lives - unintentionally, most of the time - with an objective. once that objective is accomplished, they move out of our lives. if we're still in each others' lives... we have a greater objective to achieve.

:: if we were to consider our blogs as brands... are we, then, to blog only keeping in mind the blog's core identity? for instance, if 'inane' is the forte of this space, am i not to blog abt anything that may make sense?

and we're back.

4 days.
5 states.
1 road trip.
lunching with one of my favoritest couples in the whole wide world.
meeting rels you used to like, after a long long time. realizing they're still as nice as you remembered them.
falling in love with the niece you haven't spent any time with before.
some godawesome food.
decent weather. *read, no snow!*
good walks.
good music.
better conversations.
one playful kitty.
happy times.

this is, for me, how a good vacation ought to be.

would have been purrfect if i could've managed to stay with G.. but well, next time. also, it made me realize why i love G so much. i called... the morng of when i was supposed to land at her place, and told her i couldn't make it, as we'd had a sudden change of plans and had to head back directly... and all she said was "no worries. cool." that, to me, is what great friendship is. no explanations, no whining, no making me feel guilty. no sulking. pure understanding. and confidence, that if i could.. i definitely would.

touchwood!

here and now...

it's been a while now. a while since i came here. not only here, on this blog... but here, to this place i've now started calling home. and wonder if it actually is home. or it's another of those dreams that i won't r'ber when i wake up.

i have finally started stepping out the door without the camera. so, 'that' touristy phase is kind of over.
and it's an understatement to say it's beautiful. of course, only if you like the countryside, that is. if you're the kind of urban person who thrives on skyscrapers, this isn't the place for you. i was like that, once. a long time ago. i can't seem to remember when that person took the back-seat and let this, nature-loving freak, out.
but i don't know how many mes are within me. so i shall leave that be.

as for now, there's one thing that kind of sums it up for me, here. and considering that this place has a way of making me shut up... i shall quote vin's colleague... who said "it just lets you make the most of a moment... teaches you to 'live'... and appreciate every little aspect."
like the ray of sunshine that peeked out from behind the dark grey cloud. like the white morng, which melted away as the sun shone through... like the green of the leaves, which i don't know when i'd see next...

all in all, it's gorgeous.
and i'm sorry i haven't blogged more often. will try to be regular from next month. or maybe next year?
to all those who asked me where i've been.. i've been around. but i didn't/don't have anything much to write about. will do a picture post once i'm back. till then, happy thanksgiving!